South Korea

Published government sources use different dates and school counts. An April 2016 Foreign Affairs listing gave 44 schools, while a KOTRA guide describes roughly 60. These should not be treated as a measured growth trend without checking their definitions and coverage. For a family, the relevant starting point is the available programme and admissions arrangement in the intended location. ↗

InvestKOREA’s 2022 guidance distinguishes foreign schools from Ministry of Education-approved foreign educational institutions. The latter category includes Chadwick International and Daegu International School, as well as higher-education institutions. Jeju international schools have a provincial framework. The published total for one category is not a count of interchangeable school options. ↗

Korean families also seek international education, including alternatives to early study abroad. Separately, US Forces Korea moved its headquarters to Camp Humphreys in 2018 and Seoul American High School closed in 2019. These historical facts provide context, but do not prove that civilian-school demand or available places increased or decreased. ↗

Before paying an application fee, ask the school which eligibility category applies to your child and what evidence it requires. Nationality, family circumstances and residence history may need review. Eligibility and academic assessment are separate from whether a place and suitable support are available. ↗

For Korean-national applicants, published comparative materials describe overseas-residence conditions and enrolment limits at mainland foreign schools. Ask how those conditions are applied to the particular case, including how residence periods are counted and whether approval is required; rules differ between school categories. ↗

Jeju Global Education City includes NLCS Jeju, BHA, SJA Jeju and KIS Jeju. Its different framework provides access for Korean-national pupils without the mainland overseas-residence requirement described in published guidance. Assessments, Korean studies and graduation-recognition requirements differ between the four schools. Jeju guide

Some schools charge separate KRW and USD tuition portions. Both are payable; they are not alternative currency quotations. The examples below distinguish school-issued rates from secondary ranges and older figures. Obtain the correct year’s itemised quotation before comparing tuition, joining charges and boarding.

• Seoul Foreign School: the official 2026–27 Elementary schedule includes partial-day Pre-K at KRW 18,280,000 plus US$7,185 and Kindergarten–Grade 5 at KRW 27,285,000 plus US$13,500. Other divisions’ currency splits were not publicly available. Non-refundable application, registration and entrance charges are KRW 450,000, KRW 650,000 and KRW 5.5 million; annual round-trip bus transport is KRW 4.2 million. Official fee page.
• Chadwick International (Songdo, Incheon): a secondary 2026–27 listing gives converted tuition of roughly KRW 56.4–65.8 million, a converted tuition figure rather than an all-inclusive cost. ↗
• Seoul-area secondary 2026–27 listings: Dulwich is roughly KRW 42.7–47.9 million; KIS Pangyo KRW 34.2–46.8 million; YISS KRW 32.5–38 million; and Dwight KRW 28.1–36.4 million. YISS also lists application at KRW 500,000, registration at KRW 1 million and new-student capital development at KRW 4.5 million. The Seoul guide distinguishes the programmes, currency splits and source limitations. ↗
• Jeju schools: BHA’s official 2026–27 tuition runs from KRW 21,762,000 plus US$14,148 for JK Prep–Grade 5 to KRW 26,640,000 plus US$17,294 for Grade 12. Boarding adds KRW 21,520,000 full-time or KRW 17,192,000 for five days. NLCS’s most recent detailed official terms available are for 2025–26; KIS and SJA have separate 2026–27 examples in the Jeju guide. Do not combine these into one converted price band. BHA official fees.

Secondary guides describe smaller Christian and community schools in Seoul at roughly KRW 8–16 million, but the year and inclusions need confirmation. Older French and German school figures also require current quotations. At every price, compare the licence, recognised qualifications, language provision, support and daily journey rather than using fees as a quality ranking. ↗

Programmes differ by school and stage. YISS, KIS and SIS provide American/AP options. SFS offers British and IB primary routes followed by IB secondary study, rather than an AP route. Dwight and Chadwick offer IB programmes. On Jeju, NLCS follows British-to-IB study, BHA offers the IB continuum, and SJA and KIS provide American/AP programmes, with subjects varying by campus. IB vs British vs American guide

Further options include Lycée Français de Séoul, Deutsche Schule Seoul International, the Japanese School in Seoul and Chinese schools in several cities. Language-entry requirements, curriculum recognition and the transition to a future school matter here, and these programmes may suit families for reasons beyond a headline fee comparison.

Busan offers two contrasting English-medium routes: International School of Busan teaches the IB continuum, while Busan Foreign School follows an American curriculum. The city also lists Japanese and Chinese schools. ↗

Daegu International School is described in published guidance as a foreign educational institution associated with Lee Academy in Maine, offering an American K–12 programme. A secondary guide gives a KRW 15–22 million fee range whose year and inclusions need confirmation. Gyeonggi options include SIS in Seongnam and KIS Pangyo. Families posted near Pyeongtaek should check current school options and, where relevant, military education arrangements directly. ↗

The guide uses published government publications, comparison listings and the completed Seoul and Jeju school profiles. SFS and BHA examples now use school-issued schedules; other ranges retain their source limitations. Government counts and fee tables are dated background rather than current invoices. Sources: Seoul Metropolitan Government Busan Metropolitan City

Fee years are identified where recorded. See our research standard for how we assess sources, browse the school directory for profiles, or send a correction if information has changed. our research standard school directory corrections